Human remains have been discovered in Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the US, as water levels dropped to a record low. The find occurred on the Nevada side of the lake, which borders Arizona.
Two women visiting the area spotted the bones. Dianelis Molina Cruz told CBS affiliate KLAS: "My friend was playing with the rocks in the lake, and then he grabbed the jaw. And when he looked, he saw the teeth and everything."
Her friend Noel De Leon suggested that the low water levels contributed to the discovery. "The water looks very low compared to where it should be," he said. "As the water goes down, the skeletons come up."
Water levels at Lake Mead have been declining since 2000. The US Bureau of Reclamation reported that last week the level dropped to 1,040 feet (316 meters) above sea level, considerably below the previous record low set in July 2022.
The reservoir is in Clark County, most of which is in moderate drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Droughts have been worsening in recent years, a trend scientists attribute to climate change.
Persistent hot summer weather has caused water levels to drop in rivers and lakes across several countries, leading to unexpected discoveries. In Hungary, the bodies of two World War Two German soldiers were recovered from the Danube River in Budapest earlier this month, along with a largely intact German army motorcycle.
Other remnants of World War Two have appeared in the Danube, including a broken-up hull near Prahovo in Serbia. In the UK, low water levels at a reservoir in Rutland have uncovered the remains of the village of Nether Hambleton, which was demolished and flooded to create the reservoir.